A Game Of Life Or Murder
by KimimiCchi
Summary: Feliciano lives in a broken world, but somehow remains optimistic, even when he lives with his paranoid brother and their traumatised grandfather. However, his naïvety is soon shattered when he is chosen to take part in the one event that caused his family to break apart around him.. Post-apocalyptic AU based on The Hunger Games. Will contain character death and multiple pairings.
1. Prologue

The year is 2047.

A once peaceful world is now in chaos.

In the past thirty years, many events have happened. The oil supply has run out in America – one of the many factors that has caused the downfall of the once proud superpower. Now, a new power has taken over, one that makes its home in the continent of Asia. China, along with the surrounding supporting nations of Japan; Taiwan; Korea, a nation that had long since shattered its north-south divide; India; Hong Kong; and Vietnam.

The nation of Russia, like America, has been broken by its own downfall, and its attempt at becoming one with the Asian superpowers was a lost cause from the beginning. America suffered the same rejection and, as a result, both of these fallen nations are beyond repair, and are only plummeting further into poverty with every year that passes.

In contrast, the nation of Australia, located in the continent of Oceania, has had a rise in power over the past decade, and has the potential of becoming an opposition to China and its allied nations. This possibility leaves the other world nations in fear of a repetition of the events of 1947 to 1991.

Never since those forty-five years of terror has the world ever come close to a third world war.

A treaty had been made between many countries after war broke out in the far east in the year 2024, but action was taken by America, persuaded by the continents of Europe and Oceania, to put a stop to the conflict before the situation got out of hand. As a result, many of the Asian nations were forced to sign a peace treaty.

China, a nation that had been rapidly growing in power for some time now, refused.

Soon enough, the other Asian nations took action and rebelled against the treaty, and the powerful force of the Asian superpower was formed. America, determined to fight against this new threat to peace, and Russia, who wanted world peace after all the past wars and events that had destroyed lands, declared war on the newly formed power, but underestimated its strength.

And then, the oil ran out, signalling the end of the road for the United States.

Only two years after, Russia collapsed as well, and the new superpower refused to give support, accusing the nation of betrayal to its continent.

The nations of Europe and Oceania, partly responsible for America and Russia's downfalls, still have guilt weighing them down.

The world lived in relative peace, until Oceania began to grow in power in the late 2030s.

That was when then games began.

A man-made island, approximately the size of Jersey, was built in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with the ability to be modified to any extent.

Every year, a lottery is drawn, and one citizen from each nation, between the ages of 12 and 18, are sent into the arena.

The aim: To win.

How to achieve this: By killing the others.

Consequences of not achieving this aim: **Death.**

The country who sent forth the citizen who wins receives goods from all the other countries, as well as the power to change the island for the next game. On top of that, no citizen will be selected from that country for the next game.

My name is Feliciano Vargas, and this is the world I live in.

* * *

**A/N**

**I got the idea for this story while trying to sleep, and I needed to write the prologue up ****_ASAP._**

**However, I'm probably not going to be able to write the first chapter until next week, because I have tests and things going on at the moment.**

**Hope you enjoyed the prologue, (I hope it makes sense...) and see you when the story starts!**


	2. Chapter 1

It's funny how we take the tiniest, but most amazing, things for granted. Like the twitter of birds in the early morning, or the sight of the moon and stars in the night. It's only when everything around us gets worse that we really begin to see these things.

And then, we end up relying on them to bring us happiness.

At least, that's what happened to me...

I pretty much live my life outside, laying in the meadow just outside our village and staring at the sky. Sometimes I make daisy chains or bring a book to read. Sometimes I even roll down the hill that leads up to the forest, and, very occasionally, I take a hike into the forest itself. Although, when I do, I always tell my brother where I'm going, even though he will worry about me whether I tell him or not. He has reason to worry, though. I remember the gruesome stories villagers tell of packs of wolves that claim this forest as theirs and theirs alone, tearing apart any who wander into their territory, limb by limb.

And I know all too well that if I was claimed by their bloodied fangs and claws, my family would shatter completely.

A faint call from the direction of the village grabbed my attention. I quickly sat up and looked over to the source of the sound, spotting a waving figure at the edge of the village.

It could have been anyone, I couldn't see who it was and I couldn't hear their voice properly, but I knew it was Romeo.

I quickly got up, heading to the one lone apple tree under which I had placed my basket, and half-ran, half-skipped my way back towards home.

As much as I hated leaving my beloved meadow, I knew that I had to. It was rare that my brother disturbed my tranquillity to call me back home, meaning that this must be something important. I searched my memory for a reason to his call, but I remained clueless. Maybe something just came up? Yeah, that had to be it, no reason to worry.

Soon enough, I reached the outer village houses, greeting my brother with a hug. Deep down, I knew that I didn't spend nearly enough time with Romeo. This was partially because of the fact that he was away for almost six months every year, but it was also my fault for hardly spending any time at home...

"Feli, you're drifting off again..."

Romeo's voice brought me out of my daze. I looked back at him and smiled, my smile instantly returned.

"Your smile always brightens up my day... Come on," he said, reaching for my arm, "we need to get back before we miss it."

Once again, my memory failed me.

"Miss what, fratello?"

"You forget every year, Feli..." Romeo sighed, shaking his head slowly, "The contestants are picked today, remember..?"

Suddenly, reality crashed down around me, and I remembered exactly who I was, and what kind of world I lived in.

The games were almost here.

Every year, the contestants for the games are selected, and the process is broadcast worldwide on live television.

Today was that day.

"What about Lovino? He isn't with us this year, is he? What if he gets picked and we don't see him again?!"

My other brother, Lovino, moved to South Italy two years ago, just before the north-south divide took place. Two months after _that_, the micro nation of Seborga became ruled by North Italy. The citizens of micro nations don't take part in the games. Instead, they help to maintain and supply for the arena and the games themselves. Romeo moved to Seborga around the same time as Lovino moved to South Italy, leaving me to look after Grandpa Roma by myself. Others seem to wonder why I'm not angry with both of them for leaving me like that, but in all honesty, I don't blame them one bit. Because, if I was in their boat, I would have done the same thing myself.

"Feli, don't... Just don't..."

Drawn back to the conversation, I decided to keep my mouth shut from now on. I didn't want to set off Romeo's recently developed paranoia...

It had started almost a year ago, when Grandpa Roma's night terrors began again. Before then, Romeo was the most flirtatious person you would ever meet, and a complete womaniser. But now, his inner fire seems to have died to its last embers.

After a few minutes of painful silence, we made it back to the house. A pretty little cottage-like building, covered in vines with a few blooming flowers here and there, giving the place a nice, homely feel.

Romeo let go of my arm to unlock the door, holding it open for me to walk in before shutting and locking it again. It was a procedure that began when Grandpa tried to run away during the night once, and now it just seemed like second nature.

Walking down the hallway, I placed my basket on top of a shelf we used to put shoes and was about to turn into the living room before I stopped, instead poking my head past the half-open door that led into the spare room.

There, sat in an armchair – the only other object within the empty walls other than an unlit candle – was Grandpa Roma himself.

I, personally, thought that sitting in a room like this, with nothing to do and only the light from either the windows on the far wall or the candle to give him light, was unfair and horrible. However, I knew that this was the only way...

Grandpa Roma was a surviving contestant for North Italy in one of the past games, and the experience had left him severely traumatized. Night terrors were common, resulting in blood-curdling screams and thrashing, the reason why all other furniture and objects were removed from the room. He couldn't socialize with people any more as he would either go into a state of post-traumatic stress, or try to kill them. The only people he could confide in were his three grandsons; Lovino, Romeo, and me, Feliciano. And, even then, he wasn't the same as he used to be. Mutterings instead of declarations, crying instead of laughing, dark rooms instead of bright meadows. Deep down, I knew this was part of the reason that Lovino and Romeo moved away. They couldn't cope with seeing Grandpa like this any more. They had known him longer than I had, but, even then, I shared a special bond with him.

And now, he barely remembered my name.

Romeo called from the living room and I left Grandpa to himself, feeling a familiar pang of guilt as I quietly shut the door behind me and walked to where Romeo was waiting.

The television was already on, and Romeo was sat on the edge of the old, worn-out fabric sofa, his eyes glued to the screen, worry flickering behind them. I prepared myself for the possibilities of what was to come and sat down next to him, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

Just as I thought that I had calmed down, the Chinese national anthem started to play, and a tall, smiling woman with raven-black hair, adorned with a red oriental ribbon, and hazel eyes appeared.

_"Hello, my name is __Chi Lihwa, your announcer of the contestants for this year's Vitality Games!"_

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**A/N**

**I managed to write the first proper chapter today!**

**By the way, for those of you who don't know, Romeo is Seborga.**

**Anyway, see you in chapter two! Ciao~!**


	3. Chapter 2

The programme started off like it was a casual talk show. Romeo and I sat watching Chi, the host for this year's games, interviewing Jack Kirkland, last year's victor who represented the nation of Australia.

He appeared to be a boisterous man with a love for adventure, thick eyebrows, a band aid on his nose, green eyes and light brown hair, as well as a laid-back attitude.

However, the clips that were now being shown from last year's games proved that he knew how to fight to an expert standard, skills that I would never have.

Romeo sighed next to me and stood up, asking if I wanted a drink before walking out of the room. I called my confirmation after him, keeping my eyes on the television screen, even though my mind was miles away. Was Lovino watching this right now? Was he as worried about Romeo and I as I was about him? Was he alone, or did he have a few of his friends with him?

Romeo didn't call out to me when he walked back in, instead he quietly placed a glass in front of the table in front of me and opened the bottle of wine he was carrying. That alone was enough to pull me back to reality. I knew he would bring wine. He always brought wine when the games were being announced...

I gently picked up my glass, holding it as steady as I could in my shaking hands. For every one glass I would have, Romeo would have at least five, so I decided, as I do every year, to only have one glass of wine, even though I knew that Romeo would go and get another when this one ran out and that there was nothing that I could do to stop him from drinking once he got started.

"_And now, to tonight's main event. I, Chi Lihwa, your host for this year's Vitality Games, am proud to announce this year's contestants!"_

"Stop sounding so happy about our suffering, per l'amor di Dio!"

"Fratello! Don't say God's name in vain!" I gasped in surprise as Romeo grabbed the wine bottle, pressing it to his lips and taking a long drink before speaking again.

"He's probably too disgusted by what our world has come to to give a single fuck any more, Feliciano..."

"But we're not all bad! Surely he would have noticed-"

"Noticed what Feli? That we're all probably going to be killed by all these fucking people in Asia who think they own this damned Earth?! We're all a lost case Feliciano, everybody gave up the fight for freedom when the games started, and they're not planning to stop them and let us all rebel any time soon. You know that as well as we all do. So you might as well keep your mind on the Earth and in the present and begin to realize that there's no hope for us any more, and there's nothing that any Holy Deity can do about it either!"

Romeo's words hurt. They hurt a lot. But what hurt even more was that all he said was true. I knew what was happening and what would end up happening as well as he did. I just chose to ignore it, to imagine a bright future where every country can live in harmony, and hope and pray for it to be the destined future for us all.

But it is not the destined future.

For us, the destined future ends the same way that the games do.

Bloodshed.

Romeo took another swig from the wine bottle as we both fell silent.

"_And now, without any further ado, I, Chi Lihwa, present the list of contestants for this year's games!"_

The announcement for the games works like this: throughout the day, lotteries have been occurring throughout the world. In every country, a name of a citizen between the ages of 12 and 18 has been selected and sent to the nation of China. From there, they have been set into tables according to which continent the country is situated.

The first table appeared on the screen, showing the names of the contestants from Asia. I quickly scanned my eyes across the table, attempting to pick up a few names from the countries I recognised.

Yao Wang was the first name on the list, next to the Chinese flag. A couple of names down was Kiku Honda, Japan's contestant. Ivan Braginski, Mei Xiao, Im Yong Soo, Kasem Chao, and Lien Chung, contestants from Russia, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam, consecutively...

The table then changed to America, showing contestants from both the north and south, as the land mass had decided to become a joined continent at some point in time that I couldn't put an exact year to. I began to scan the flags for a country I recognised and soon found one, the United States of America, being represented by Alfred Jones.

I was about to continue before I was interrupted by the sound of Romeo's wine bottle being slammed against the table.

"What the hell's your problem, Feliciano?!"

"Ve..?" I looked over to my brother in confusion, shocked to see how angry he was.

"Why are you suddenly taking an interest in the names of these people?" He motioned to the screen, as if I didn't know which people anyway. He was on the border of being tipsy, slowly staggering into the pit of drunkenness with each drop of wine that left the bottle. Luckily, he wasn't drinking at this moment and the bottle of wine stayed on the table...

I shrugged to answer his question as, in all honesty, I didn't really know myself.

"What the hell's the point? All but one of them are going to die and the winner gets a life of luxury as a reward..."

"But fratello, they're **people**! They don't deserve to die like this!"

"Do you think I don't know that Feliciano? After what happened with Grandpa, and all the other contestants I've met in my life, do you think I don't know that?! I work at the last place they go to before they're thrown into that hell-hole they call an arena, I watch them on the last day in the outside world before all but one of them die, and they cry, Feliciano, they all fucking cry and break down and there's **nothing I can do about it!** But, believe me, if I could do something I would because **nobody** deserves that, not even if they're the most horrible person on this fucking planet!"

I stared at Romeo as he finished shouting, watching as he forced tears back. I knew where he worked, and I had a decent idea at what he had seen there, but even that hadn't prepared me for his sudden outburst. I looked down at the floor as he looked straight ahead at the television screen.

After a few minutes of silence, I heard an airy noise come from Romeo. I assumed it was a sigh, annoyed him again somehow...

"Fratello, I'm sorry-"

"Feliciano..."

I didn't look up. If he was going to shpout at me again, I didn't want to look at him.

"Fratello, please forgive me-"

"Feliciano..."

His voice sounded more desperate and panicked this time, which confused me a little, but I continued.

"If I annoyed you in some way, then you can tell me because-"

"**Feliciano.**"

I forced myself to look up from the sheer panic in his voice, and I looked over at him. His face was a painting of hysteria, a look of pure terror and panic that made me begin to panic myself, even though I had no idea what had made him so worked up.

"Romeo, a-are you okay...?"

Instead of answering, he pointed his shaking hand towards the television screen, and my eyes followed.

The table of tributes had changed, now displaying the contestants selected from Europe. The continent that Italy was situated in.

I scanned my eyes down the table, my mind subconsciously making a mental note of a few names before I landed on two that made my heart stop, my blood freeze and, I guessed, my skin turn as white as snow.

First the flag of North Italy, red, white and green stripes. Underneath was South Italy, with red, black, and green stripes.

The names of the tributes were as clear as day, in a black font, sealing the fate of two people, a citizen of each half of Italy.

_Feliciano Vargas_

and

_Lovino Vargas_.

* * *

**A/N**

**And the main story finally is underway!**

**I decided to call Australia Jack Kirkland because, for a start, he's related to England. Also, Jack was one of the names that Himaruya said he might use for Australia's human name and I like it (I thought it actually was his name...but it isn't because he hasn't got an official one yet. Oh well!).**


	4. Chapter 3

The next hour passed by in a blur, a mix of images accompanied by a soundtrack of telephone calls and tears. The television had long been silenced by me in an attempt to calm Romeo down. He was panicking so much but, then again, so was I, but I managed to cover it up with a smile.

The first thing we did was call Lovino, our brother and contestant of South Italy, and we all cried together. That's the only time I've cried in the past hour, since mine and Lovi's fates were sealed. Ever since then I've felt nothing but numbness, and I've gladly accepted that. Life seems to be so much more peaceful when you're numb to feelings.

After a heartfelt but tear-less farewell to Grandpa, Romeo and I left the house. Walking away, I glanced back, realizing how slim my chances were of seeing this place again, and I felt a small pang of melancholy before turning away and continuing to head down the street with Romeo.

I already knew our destination, and within a few minutes I saw it.

I knew that Romeo owned a helicopter, but I'd never actually seen it. My everyday routine of heading to the meadows didn't go anywhere near where the patch of dead flowers lay, the make-shift landing pad used for my brother's preferred mode of transport. Romeo walked over said flower patch, the brown and broken blossoms crunching feebly under his feet. He unlocked the helicopter, sliding the doors open and motioning for me to go inside, which I did. I wondered briefly if I would end up like the flowers underneath mine and my brother's feet: dead on the floor and being broken by the subtlest movements of those of whom I get in the way of...

Shaking my head slightly, I cleared the thoughts from my mind and climbed on board the helicopter. Romeo climbed in behind me, sliding the door shut again and heading towards the cockpit, motioning for me to buckle up. My brother had been getting increasingly quieter as time went on, to the point where he relied on actions to speak for him. No noise escaped him at all, apart from the sounds of his breathing, proof that he was in fact alive and not just a walking corpse.

I sighed to myself, wondering how I could have let such morbid thoughts enter my mind, clearing them away just as a speaker blared out.

_'Hold onto your hats, buckle up, and prepare for take off!'_

I smiled, recognising the voice as Romeo's. It must've been recorded a while ago, as I could detect a flirtatious flare to my brother's voice, something that had long disappeared. The sound of it saddened me more than reassured me, and I forgot to buckle my seat. As the engine suddenly blared into life, I scrambled to buckle myself in, managing to just as the vehicle lifted into the air.

As we began our journey, I watched the sun set out the window. The mixture of reds, oranges and purples looked as if it had been captured on a canvas, looking more fantastical then natural, like something written and described in the story books Grandpa used to read to me.

I began to wonder if I'd ever be able to read stories like those again, if I'd ever be able to see a sunset like this one again, if I'd ever be able to appreciate the beauty of home again. I laughed humourlessly to myself. It's funny how we never appreciate the beauty around us until it's gone.

It was then that it really hit me.

_I might never see my home again..._

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I blinked them back. I didn't want to cry, I wasn't _that_ weak...was I?

"You okay Feli?"

I almost jumped at hearing my brother's voice so suddenly and looked up, seeing Romeo's face in a mirror, looking back at me. I nodded silently, looking back out at the sunset. Everything was silent for a moment before Romeo sighed and almost sympathetic-sounding sigh.

"You should rest Feliciano, we've got a long flight ahead and you need to save your energy for what's to come..."

I nodded again, gazing one last time at the sunset, engraving it in my memory, before closing my eyes and drifting into a soft but dreamless sleep accompanied by only the hum of helicopter engines and rotating blades.

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**A/N: I'm really, really sorry that it took so long for me to update this! I don't really have an excuse, I literally just procrastinated and I'm so sorry about that! ^^''**

**Anyway, things start getting interesting in the next chapter!**


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